Hi, this is Monique Rhodes. Welcome to the In Your Right Mind Podcast, where we're learning how to be happier by working with our minds.
If you’d like to know more about what I teach, come to MoniqueRhodes.com and do the Happiness Quiz. It’s a great way to find out how I can help you get on the path to being happier.
The Question That Sparked It
A friend of mine asked me a really great question the other day.
He said, “If you could describe one mindset that helps you live a happier, more aligned life, what would it be?”
And my answer was simple: you don’t need a ten-year plan.
You don’t need to map out every move or hustle harder to figure it all out.
What if, for now, all you needed was to listen more closely to whatever makes you come alive?
What It Means to Optimize for Enthusiasm
I call this optimizing for enthusiasm.
It’s not about chasing highs or avoiding discomfort.
It’s about learning to trust that quiet inner flicker — that small moment of curiosity or delight that stirs inside you before your inner critic wakes up.
Maybe someone mentions a workshop, a trip, or a book, and you feel a spark of excitement.
Or maybe you’re walking barefoot on the beach, rearranging a room, or writing something just for yourself — and you feel lighter, more connected.
That’s enthusiasm.
That’s life moving through you.
The Compass Within
Most of us were taught to ignore enthusiasm.
We were conditioned to value what’s practical, useful, or safe.
But enthusiasm isn’t indulgent — it’s a compass.
It’s your system showing you what aligns.
It’s how your heart says, “Come this way.”
There’s a phrase from Tibet that translates to gentle perseverance — the idea of showing up for your path not with force, but with warmth and curiosity.
That’s what enthusiasm feels like.
It’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s a glimmer — a lift in your chest, a breath that feels easier, a quiet “I wonder.”
If you follow that thread, it often leads somewhere surprising — somewhere alive.
Following What Lights You Up
Not every enthusiastic choice is easy.
Sometimes it leads you into uncertainty, creativity, service, or starting over.
But even when it’s hard, it’s energizing — because you’re being pulled forward, not pushed through.
So start noticing:
What makes you feel enthusiastic?
What conversations leave you feeling lit up instead of drained?
What projects or ideas keep tugging at your thoughts when no one’s asking anything of you?
These are not random.
They’re signals — invitations from life itself.
When Enthusiasm Fades
Of course, some days you won’t feel enthusiastic about anything.
That’s okay too.
Sometimes you’re in a season of depletion or grief or fatigue.
In those moments, the invitation becomes gentler.
Maybe it’s a small pull toward a walk, a poem, a hot bath, or a text to someone you love.
Even that is enough.
Enthusiasm doesn’t demand happiness — it simply asks you to notice when life wants to move through you.
Choosing Aliveness
Following what lights you up can feel radical.
You might disappoint people.
You might change careers, leave relationships, or shift your priorities.
But what’s the alternative?
To live a life dictated by obligation or fear — a life that slowly dims you?
The world doesn’t need more people dimming themselves.
It needs people standing in the light — people lit from within, willing to say,
“This is what makes me feel alive, and I’m building my life around it.”
That kind of aliveness is contagious.
It ripples through families, communities, and cultures.
It teaches others that they too can move toward what’s honest and true.
Let Life Move Through You
We don’t need to fix ourselves.
We just need to soften — to stay with what is — to meet ourselves with gentleness.
And when we learn to optimize for enthusiasm, we practice that gentleness in real time.
It’s not flashy. It’s not always logical.
But it’s simple. And it’s quietly powerful.
Start where you are.
Follow that flicker.
Say yes to what pulls you toward life.
Let that be your path.
And trust that it will take you somewhere beautiful.
I hope this has been helpful.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
